Man accused of dumping construction debris on his own property

A Houston man who admitted dumping construction debris illegally because he couldn't pay the disposal fee has been charged with illegal commercial dumping of more than 200 pounds of debris.

Matthew Sterling Shelton, 63, told police he had illegally dumped 10 loads of commercial demolition debris in the past year on property he owned because he didn't have the money to dump it legally at a landfill, according to court records.

A witness who asked to remain anonymous gave police photos of Shelton dumping debris on Jan. 14 and Jan. 21, records state.

The photos show him driving his company truck marked Shelton Tree & Demolition, hauling 30 to 40 cubic yards of demolition debris to a vacant lot in the 5200 block of Trafalgar Drive, according to the complaint from the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

In the photos, Shelton is seen approaching the vacant lot next to Sims Bayou with a load of debris and later leaving without the materials, records state.

Shelton, who was not in custody Friday, could not immediately be reached for comment.